McConaughey was forthcoming about why his connection to Lincoln runs deep, stating: “My brand, their brand, there’s a real synchronicity between us in that we both expect of ourselves, and work daily, to try to put out a quality product. Authenticity is how we identify ourselves. We both feel we have a responsibility to our own heritage while, at the same time, always chasing our better selves. Neither one of us wants to be considered a luxury item at the expense of being human, there’s nothing elitist about myself or Lincoln, and so, in those values is where we found an easy way to work together and, in many ways, become synonymous.”

As a precursor to the reading, online attendees received a virtual tour of the 2021 Nautilus guided by a Lincoln product specialist. The sneak peek also provided an example of how the Lincoln Showcase works, the latter being a way for potential buyers to have a remote “walkaround” of a model and work one-on-one with a representative without stepping foot in a dealership.

For the next model year, the Nautilus midsize SUV now features an enhanced cabin experience that includes being the first in the lineup to carry parent company Ford’s Sync 4 infotainment and communication system. The setup bolsters connectivity and voice-recognition functionality, and is complemented by a 13.2-inch centre screen, the biggest display on a Lincoln. Also on board is the Lincoln Co-Pilot 360 package of driver aids, now standard, that’s supported by a, you guessed it, 360-degree camera. Other interior touches include heating-and-cooling seats – with choice of massage modalities – and multicolour illuminated piping and trim throughout the interior, amenities akin to what’s found in the far pricier full-size Mercedes Maybach GLS 600.

After a glimpse of the car, viewers were given a teaser of McConaughey’s book Greenlights, a series of personal reflections, confessions and affirmations that he wrote in isolation. “This book is stories of my last 50 years, and it’s interspersed with poems, prayers, prescribes, people, places and a whole lot of bumper stickers that I’ve seen along the way,” notes McConaughey. “The backbone of Greenlights, and my theory on that is, ultimately, in the rearview mirror of our lives, all those red and yellow lights – the crises and hardships, even losing a loved one – all those things will eventually turn green, or at least have a green-light asset within them via the lessons that we are there to learn from them… the yellows and reds will eventually turn green. And here’s to catching more and creating more for ourselves and each other.”

One excerpt shared was from the phone conversation he had with his now late father about deciding not to become a lawyer but go to film school instead. He read, in part: “I heard a voice, it was a kind, inquisitive voice. ‘Well, is that what you want to do?’ my dad asked. Yes sir, dad, it is. Silence, another five seconds. ‘Well, don’t half-ass it.’ Of all the things my dad could have said to me, of all the reactions he could have had, ‘don’t half-ass it’ were the last words I expected to hear, and the best words he could have ever said to me.” For McConaughey, and even Lincoln, that decision certainly turned out alright, alright, alright.

This story was first published on Robb Report US